During this observation, focus on how class begins. Where is your CT before class begins? What is he or she doing? Using the clock on the wall, determine when your CT establishes order and begins class. How did she/he start their lesson? How is homework from the previous night reviewed/collected/assessed? How does your CT engage students during the opening of the lesson?
Ms. Medeiros is also the department head, so she is very busy and with a rotating schedule, she could be running in from a meeting or already in the room before class begins. She often stands in the front of the room, greeting students as they come in. From what I have observed in my two times, the class seems to begin with a review of what was done the previous class, any pending assignments and the objective of this class. RMS has a rotating schedule, so Ms. Medeiros makes sure to take an extra minute or two to recap with the class that was not held the previous day. The students file in, sit down in assigned seats and within 1 -2 minutes, Ms. Medeiros simply says "We are ready yo begin" , continueing with the dailogue mentioned above and so far, the students all attend to task. They start with taking out their notebooks and starting from where they left off the previous day. Homework, if assigned, is usually contained within the science notebook, is collected weekly and graded using a rubric. Assignments that require writing are graded using the same rubric used in language arts. Engagement varies according to the class. There are some classes that come in already engaged and ready to go (pretty cool and enjoyable) and for those who seem tired or uninterested, Ms. Medeiros asks a lot of questions.
Reflection:
I have the hubris of a starting teacher to say I hope I will be using something dramatic and relevant every class to hook my students. I would like to start class with a drill for those who are lacking a bit of enthusiasm and have a more personalized mini challenge for the classes who are solid so far in content and can explore a bit more. I think the homework I assign will be mostly prepatory work for the next class, especially if a lab, or completing what we didn't finish in class.
Observation
During this observation, focus on how class begins. Where is your CT before class begins? What is he or she doing? Using the clock on the wall, determine when your CT establishes order and begins class. How did she/he start their lesson? How is homework from the previous night reviewed/collected/assessed? How does your CT engage students during the opening of the lesson?Ms. Medeiros is also the department head, so she is very busy and with a rotating schedule, she could be running in from a meeting or already in the room before class begins. She often stands in the front of the room, greeting students as they come in. From what I have observed in my two times, the class seems to begin with a review of what was done the previous class, any pending assignments and the objective of this class. RMS has a rotating schedule, so Ms. Medeiros makes sure to take an extra minute or two to recap with the class that was not held the previous day. The students file in, sit down in assigned seats and within 1 -2 minutes, Ms. Medeiros simply says "We are ready yo begin" , continueing with the dailogue mentioned above and so far, the students all attend to task. They start with taking out their notebooks and starting from where they left off the previous day. Homework, if assigned, is usually contained within the science notebook, is collected weekly and graded using a rubric. Assignments that require writing are graded using the same rubric used in language arts. Engagement varies according to the class. There are some classes that come in already engaged and ready to go (pretty cool and enjoyable) and for those who seem tired or uninterested, Ms. Medeiros asks a lot of questions.
Reflection:
I have the hubris of a starting teacher to say I hope I will be using something dramatic and relevant every class to hook my students. I would like to start class with a drill for those who are lacking a bit of enthusiasm and have a more personalized mini challenge for the classes who are solid so far in content and can explore a bit more. I think the homework I assign will be mostly prepatory work for the next class, especially if a lab, or completing what we didn't finish in class.